The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-29
AN ELOPEMENT AGENCY IN PARIS.
Ike Marriage of Mile Martinez de Campos-
Scoundrels Who Hunt Heiresses.


the French capital The curious incidents of the
Martinez de Campos affair have revealed the ex-
istence of a sort of occult elopement agency.
conducted by demi-mondane and Heb rev
usurer, who advances money on the security
aconmission the dowry, and by black band
of good-looking and well-aressed scoundrels,
who undertake to carry off heiresses by force,
to compromise them and then to clear off old
scores by accepting their dowries and offering
them marriage The Campos case is so IN
structive and strange that 1t is worth while mar
begin at the beginning. Elena MARITIME
de Molina de Monterey de Santalango,
born in the island of Cuba died in Paris in
1880, Marquise de Castefiorite, after having
been married three times By her second hus.
band. Jose Maria Martinez de Campos Con
zales de Alamo, created in 1924 first Count de
Santo-Venia. she had three children. the Count
de Santo- Venia, Dona Serafina who is now
Marquse de Casa Montaivo. and Dona Mer-
cedes, born Havana on Jan. l, 1859 When
the father died each of the children inherited
one-third of his fortune, which amounted to
some nine millions of francs In course of time
the son. the Count de Santo-Venia married a
daughter of Gen. Serrano. due de la Tore, and
in 1880 was celebrated in Paris the marriage of
his exceency Francisco Serrano Dominguez,
cavalry captain, Count de San Antonia born at
Havana in 1862, and son of Gen. Serrano. with
Mile. Maria Mercedes Martinez de Campos
Martin de Molina.
This was very swell wedding, and the big
gest wigs OF the Spanish colony and of Partisan
society were present. But why was it celebra-
ted ia Parish 1t is true that Mile. Mercedes and
her mother had lived in Paris since 1872, and
that Mile Mercedes had been educated at the
Convent of the Sacred Heart; but the Serrano
mansion is at Madrid However that may be,
the rumor current then was that Gen. Serrano
had arrant. ed this marriage solely with a view
to getting the Campos fortune into his own fam
lily, knowing as he did that the murriage would
be without issue, and knowing that the French
law six years ago did not admit the incapacty
of the husband as valid pretext for the disso-
luton of a marriage. Mile. Mercedes was thus
made the victim of the mercenary manHuvres
of her father, and the weak minded Count de
San Antonio lent himself to the abominable
scheme, knowing his own sad condition. After
two months Mile Mercedes left her nom
inal husband, and. with the aid of NJ.
Ruban- Donaden, an old friend OF her
mothers family, she demanded a dissolu-
tion of her marriage. The whole case is re-
ported in the Gazette des Tribunaux for 1884,
and, thanks to M. Ruban- Donaden, the marriage
was at last declared null by the Pope. Further
more much to the disgust of Gen. Serrano,
Mile Mercedes recovered her dowry out of
which she paid the expenses of this little legal
episode, which amounted to some $120, 600.
Having recovered her liberty and her indie
pendence, she settled In Paris at No. Rue
Christophe Colomb where she has lived since
quite modestly. having a carriage hired by the
month. two serv ants. and sort Of confidential
woman, almost a duenna, by name Nine. Bond,
at present the wife Of English coachman.
and formerly cook in the service of the mother
of Mile. Mercedes. Nine. Bond accompanied
Mile. Mercedes everywhere. dealt out money
to her, and otherwise exercised great authority,
not be established with certainty for the moment,
although the honesty of NJ. Ruban-Donaden has
been contested by no less person than Senior
Casa, who is counsel to the Spanish embassy and
consulate in Paris Senior Casa says that Ru-
ban-Donaden is a humbug, which by means
concords with the account that gentleman has
given of himself as ex-eeputy and celebrated
lawyer 'He was deputy" says M. Casa,
some seventeen years ago. when Spain was in a
state of anarchy but ne has never been law
yer. At the time of the famous trial in 1881 NJ
II II m ada6 nhf rnIn
from the French tribunals declaration of in
competency. Then he came to me and | advised
him to appeal to the Pope. Nevertheless. We
had TO struggle hard. The influence of Marshal
Serrano caused the Due de Fernan Nunez
to close the doors of the embassy to during
eight months Finally, with the help of
the arch bishop we won our case During the
whole OF that period was unable to confer with
Mile Mercedes who always accompanied
By Mae. Bond aud NJ. Rnban- Donaden. Mile.
Mercedes was already sequestrated Ruban-
Donaden is not lawyer; he had been deputy
once upon a time: he talks Spanish as badly as
he talks French, and he can hardly express him
self in anything but CATALAN dialect The man
agement of the fortune of Mile. Mercedes up to
the present day has brought him at least a mill
ion. He wanted to marry her, and that is why
he is so furious that Melvaque has ran away
with her. do not know Mielvaque; he may
may not be an honest man; but do know that
Mile. Mercedes could not fall into worse hands
than those of Nj. Ruban-Donaden.
So says Senior Casa. But we are anticipating
the course Of events. It will suffice to say that
since the notification of her marriage with the
son of Marshal Serrano the heiress Mercedes has
lived in solitary retirement and always under
the surveillance of Mime. Bond, who has taken
upon herself. probably in collision with Ruban-
Donaden, to discourage and finally refuse two
suitors, who were the Duo do Morny and Prince
Radziwill. Finally some few months ago the
Vicomte Michel Mielvaque de Lacour- Garbsauf
comes upon the scene and proceeds deliberately
to circumvent this rich heiress. The first pub
lie evidence of the affair was note inserted in
the Constitutional newspanerlannouncing the
ne - r.
rich Nile. NJ de 9. few days afterward the
same newspaper inserted an account of duel
of the same Viscount on the account
which duel has since s' been found 20
be purely imaginary. although the proces-verbal
was duly signed by the Comte de Guehsnene de
Glecourt, Marquis Sedile Leo Gently. Arthur
Sullivan. These notes were brought to the
Constitutional by M. Louis de Casabianca.
who after their insertion confessed to the editor
of the paper that tho whole affair was a false
hood, but that he should have his share of the
spoil when the Viscount got possession of the
millions of the young lady whom he trying
to entrap. Why cid not the journalist to whom
this odious plot was thus revealed in Immediately
expose the plotters, instead of holding his peace
until after the harm Is donef But We are again
anticipating events However, by some means
or other. the Viscount kept in communication
with Mile Mercedes, and on June Is he eloped
with her in singularly theatrical circumstances.
AT the head of the avenue Rue Bots de Bou
logne near the Arc de Triomphe, opposite the
group of chairs whore the idlers, the Club des
Pannes. sit to watch the movement of the
Partisan Rotten Row, the Viscount and dozen
friends lay in waiting with carriage ready at
hand. 1t appears that these preparations had
been repeated eight days in succession, but it
was not until the fifteenth day that Mile Mer-
cedes appeared on foot; and she
tered the avenue accompanied by Nine. Bond,
some OF the Viscounts friends surrounded Nine.
Bond. separated her from Mile Mercedes. and
talked and laughed loudly to drown the sound
of her voice Meanwhile, the Viscount handed
Mile. Mercedes to the carriage. and she appears
not to have resisted, and thereupon the carriage
drove off, and the Baron de Brix rode
alongside of it horseback until
they arrived at villa at Mont
the steps of which this Baron
de Brx received Mile Mercedes in the name OF
'.la nobesse Franchise" The young couple
passed several days at Montmorency. while the
friends communicated various notes
and documents to the newspapers, among others,
documents signed by Mercedes, in which she
declared that she had fed of her free will,
and in order to escape from tyranny. and fur